Yellawomen come from behind to win 4-2
Amelia Kimble scored twice as Ascot United Women defied the odds to beat Wycombe Wanderers 4-2 on Sunday. Trailing 2-1 and playing without a recognised ‘keeper for over an hour after injury forced Nicole Spittle off, The Yellawomen dug deep to mount a stirring comeback and move six points clear at the top of the league.
All square at end of eventful first half
Wanderers are a much improved outfit and dominated possession early-on and signalled their intent when Spittle smothered an early attempt on her goal.
However, The Yellawomen drew first blood with their first meaningful chance when Sarah Jones escaped down the left, cut the ball back from the by-line with the outside of her foot, and Kimble was on hand to deftly flick home – also with the outside of her boot – to give her side an 18th minute lead.
Sadly, the lead lasted barely two minutes when impressive Kine Andersen’s deep free kick squirmed through Spittle’s grasp and into the net.
In an increasingly end-to-end encounter, Jones threaded Kimble in only for Chelsea Coles to race from her line and smother in a well-timed interception, before repeating the trick to thwart Jones after she had sprinted onto the excellent Maddie Robertson’s intelligent ball over the top.
Disaster strikes for Yellas
But the complexion of the game threatened to change in the 27th minute when Spittle bravely raced out of her area and clobbered Amy Leach bearing down on her – a lengthy delay ensued – before Spittle was fortunate to receive only a yellow card; although injury ended her afternoon shortly afterwards. And, her last intervention was to pick the ball out of the net from Andersen’s resulting free-kick into the right-hand corner – 2-1 to the home side, before outfielder Hayley Cruickshanks came off the bench to take the gloves from the stricken stopper.
But the visitors dug deep to win their share of fifty-fifty battles before being rewarded in first half stoppage time when Georgia Luckhurst-McCord set Dom Carrington up for a right-wing cross which took the defence out of the equation, and Kimble did well to flick home and level it up at half time.
Visitors have wind in their sails in dominant second half
Now with the wind behind them, Ascot were in command for the second half and Kimble might have had a hat-trick only to see her rasping early effort from distance fly over.
Captain Philippa Holden then saw a diving header sail over form Robertson’s wicked, inswinging free kick but her side regained the lead in the 66th minute amongst carnage in the hosts’ penalty area. Carrington fizzed a cross from the left, and although Jones’s first-time effort was beaten away by Coles – anywhere either side of her and it would have been a goal – Carrington was fouled in the afters after substitute Tiff Skinner had also seen an effort charged down. Up stepped Holden, and her spot kick found the left-hand corner.
And, just two minutes later the game was as good as over when Carrington did well to escape the attention of three covering defenders down the left wing before squaring the ball for Skinner, and although her shot was saved by Coles, the ball squirmed through her legs and Jones prodded home from a matter of inches.
The demoralised hosts rarely threatened thereafter, although Leach dragged wide of the left-hand post with ten minutes to go as Cruickshanks enjoyed a largely untroubled cameo between the sticks, and Andersen did rattle the top of her crossbar in injury time.
There was still time for Jones to see an even later effort chalked off for offside as Ascot finished strongly – Skinner once again the provider in a fruitful twenty minute display after she had replaced player-of-the-match Kimble – but it was all academic as Darrel Evans’s side ran out comfortable winners.
Nicole Brown earlier came on as a substitute on her return from injury – another welcome sight as the tough fixture run continues with a league cup semi final at Bournemouth Sports next week – but the real business will come in the ensuing three league games where one of them is looking increasingly likely to be the pivotal fixture at Sports who now lie six points behind Ascot with two games in hand.
Entertainment: 4
Reporter’s Star Player: Amelia Kimble (Ascot United). Excellent display with two strikers’ goals and hunger to get into the box.
Ascot United: Spittle, Moss (née Spark), Luckhurst-McCord, Drage, Todd, Holden, Carrington, Jones (née Leonard), Robertson, Kimble, Barrett. Subs (rolling): Vince, Cruickshanks, Huntley, Skinner, Brown
Attendance (est): 60 (15 away)
Scorers: WWFC: Andersen 20’, 27’ AUFC: Kimble 18’ 45+1’, Holden (pen) 66’, Jones 68’
